Citizen Scientists Discover Mysterious Object Set to Escape the Milky Way
- Citizen scientists have identified a fast-moving object, CWISE, that is on a path to leave the Milky Way and venture into intergalactic space.
- The object, moving at an astonishing one million miles per hour, could be a low-mass star or brown dwarf and is unlike any other discovered before.
- CWISE appears to be ancient, potentially originating from the first generations of stars, with unique properties that intrigue scientists.
The Discovery of CWISE
The cosmos is buzzing with excitement as a dedicated team of citizen scientists has unveiled a remarkable object on the brink of leaving our galaxy. Known as CWISE J124909.08+362116.0 (or simply CWISE), this enigmatic object was uncovered using data from NASA’s WISE telescope, which mapped the sky in infrared light from 2009 to 2011. This discovery marks the first time an object with a mass comparable to a small star has been found on an escape trajectory from the Milky Way.
The Team Behind the Discovery
The trio of citizen scientists—Martin Kabatnik, Thomas P. Bickle, and Dan Caselden—spotted CWISE while exploring WISE images as part of the Backyard Worlds project. After confirming their findings with a series of ground-based telescopes, they co-authored their discovery in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. Kabatnik, hailing from Nuremberg, Germany, expressed his sheer thrill upon realizing the unusual speed of the object, stating it felt like a discovery waiting to be made.
Characteristics of CWISE
CWISE doesn’t just zoom through space at a jaw-dropping speed; it also possesses a low mass that complicates its classification. Scientists speculate it could be a low-mass star or a brown dwarf—a point of intrigue since brown dwarfs typically don’t undergo sustained hydrogen fusion and exist in a gray area between gas giant planets and stars.
While over 4,000 brown dwarfs have been identified by Backyard Worlds volunteers, CWISE stands out as the only one propelling itself out of our galaxy.
Potential Origins
Adding to the mystery, CWISE appears to contain significantly lower amounts of iron and other metals compared to most stars. This peculiarity suggests that it might be quite ancient, possibly from one of the early generations of stars in the Milky Way’s history.
Scientists are still pondering the reasons behind its remarkable velocity. One hypothesis proposes that CWISE originated from a binary star system where a white dwarf exploded as a supernova, pulling too much material from its companion. Alternatively, it could have been flung from a tightly bound cluster of stars after a close encounter with black holes.
Researchers hope that further analysis of CWISE’s elemental composition will shed light on its origins and confirm the theories surrounding its formation.
Collaboration Across the Cosmos
The collaborative effort between citizen scientists, professors, and students illustrates the power of community in space exploration. Together, they are unraveling the secrets of the universe, one discovery at a time.
Jon’s Take
As we uncover the mysteries of our cosmic neighborhood, CWISE serves as a reminder that our galaxy is filled with uncharted wonders. What other secrets are floating out there, just waiting for curious minds to discover? Keep looking up, Earthlings—who knows what you might find!
Original Article
